Spirit Airlines urges US to reject JetBlue, United partnership

Budget airline Spirit Airlines on Tuesday urged the Transportation Department to reject a proposed JetBlue Airways and United Airlines partnership, saying it was anticompetitive and will prompt large carriers to pursue similar deals.

United and JetBlue said in May the "Blue Sky" tie-up would allow travelers to book flights on both carriers' websites, while interchangeably earning and using points in their frequent flyer programs. Spirit said the deal would mean the smaller JetBlue "will become a de facto vassal of United." Spirit added "this anti-competitive tie-up involving a dominant legacy carrier will neutralize the competitive benefit of an existing low-fare competitor."